Oliver & Company: Keeping the Dream Alive
by RaNd0M-dUd3
Summary: Living in the 80's is hard, especially for a kid like Oliver Twist. A coming of age story based off of the movie. See how Oliver and his friends overcome the worst kinds of obstacles in 1988 New York City and how they become closer as a family. Rated M for Language and Sexual References.
1. Oliver's Story

_**"This is based off of the Classic Disney movie we all know and love, but it's a little more mature than the film, sort of like a coming-of-age type of story. The characters are anthropomorphic (meaning there are no humans, no Jenny, Winston, Fagin or Sykes) just all our favorite furry characters and a few new ones; there will also be some likely appearances of other furry Disney characters(I.e. Lady and the Tramp, Aristocats, etc.) and some non-Disney (I.e. All dogs go to heaven, Banjo the Woodpile Cat, etc.). Oliver deals with abuse, abandonment, AIDS & other harsh ways of growing up in the 80's; sometimes good and sometimes bad."**_

The police dog drove through the harsh Brooklyn streets looking at the disarray of the neighborhood. He looked in the back seat of his car to see the little orange kitten still crying and sniffling since he picked him up. The officer sighed and finally spoke to the poor kid "look Oliver" he said "this is the fifth time I picked you up, hell I don't blame you for running away from all of...this" the officer removed his glasses "but your mother really wants you home" he said.

"Yeah right" thought Oliver "the only reason she'd want me home is for her welfare checks to keep coming in." Oliver came from an abusive household, his mother was an abusive alcoholic and his father was absent for most his life. "Maybe this time she does want me back" the little kitten thought "hopefully she'll be in a better mood" he prayed.

The Dalmatian cop pulled up to the Public Housing and held the kids hand on the way inside. He knocked on the door of the apartment where Oliver and his mom lived and just like that the door opened with Oliver's mom on the other side of it. "Evening Mrs. Twist" the officer courteously said "I found Oliver again" and just like that she put on the water works "oh my baby Ollie" she said as she hugged him tight and kissed him "thank you again for bringing him home officer" she continued. The Dalmatian tipped his hat and bid farewell and then everything went cold.

"Why...the fuck...do you do this" Oliver's mom yelled, Oliver just whimpered and muttered while his mom mocked him. "You're such a wuss you little shit" she yelled as she reached for her hard liquor. She walked back and forth while Oliver stood up against the wall, then he noticed that his moms iron was plugged in. With that realization he ran for his bedroom door, but it was locked; "I locked it" she said "cause I knew that's where you'd run first" she continued "I just can't understand you Oliver, you have a home, a working mom, food" she stared at him mercilessly "and yet you continue to piss me off" she said venomously.

Oliver watched as his mom unplugged the hot iron and looked at him coldly "you know what comes next" she said. Oliver was about to pee himself "no mama" he begged "mama please don't" he mewled. "Shut your fucking mouth" she said as she grabbed his arm "sometimes life is a pain in the ass kid, now take it like a man" she growled stuffing a sock in his mouth to muffle his wailing. Suddenly she began tearing up, "you took everything from me; my money, my food, my husband" she said with her lip quivering "now you're gonna pay for it" she said gritting her teeth.

The iron hit Oliver's back causing him to wail uncontrollably; he tried struggling free but that just made the stinging worse. When she was done, Oliver laid on the floor crying and his mom sat in her chair clutching her liquor and narrowed her brow "so you don't like living with me anymore huh?" she said "well maybe I don't like living with you anymore you little mistake" she said venomously at him. She grabbed Oliver by the arm and they both went out the door and out into the street.

His mom whistled for a cab and they got in and then they came to a bad neighborhood on the far side of town. "This is where your living now, you won't see me again" she yelled. The cab driver thought she was mad "lady what's wrong with you" and then she looked at him and said "just drive."

Oliver looked around and saw a gang of dogs staring at him, some were smiling while others growled. One dog came closer, he was a big Rottweiler, laughing at the little kitten who was terrified beyond belief. "Well, well, look at what we've got here" the big dog said "fresh piece of meat" said a vicious looking bulldog. Oliver was so scared to the point where he finally wet himself "aw da widdle baby go pee pee in his big boy pants" said one dog chuckling. The Rottweiler looked down and gripped his paw on the Kittens shoulder "looks like your mama screwed you over kitty, but don't worry we'll take good care of you" he said as he started to unzip his pants.

Oliver new that this guy was gonna rape him for sure, so he did the only thing that could save himself, so he clawed the dog and ran like hell. "That little fuck" the dog growled in pain from the cut "get him" he shouted to the others. Oliver ran to a dark alley way and climbed over a fence while the dogs barked and growled on the other side "you can run kitty, but you can't hide from us" the Rottweiler shouted "I can smell your piss" he said.

Oliver stopped running when he was finally out of sight from the dogs and curled up against a brick wall in an alley way. The little kitten began crying when he realized that he was on his own, had nowhere to go and nothing to eat. He couldn't go home, not after what his mom just did, he couldn't go to the police, his mom would convince the police that he was lying about all the things she did. Oliver laid his head down on the cold concrete and cried himself to sleep, cold, alone and hurt.

 ** _So what did you guys think of Chapter one? Intense huh? I'll put up Chapter 2 whenever I get the chance to. Please, please review!_**


	2. Introducing Dodger & Company

_**So here's Chapter 2, I kinda figured it's better to put the chapter up sooner rather than later cause I'm going out of town for a few days.**_

Douglas "Dodger" Fagin woke up in his room to the sound of his radio/alarm clock playing "Vienna" by Billy Joel, which happened to be one of his favorite songs. He went down the hallway in his boxers and undershirt and knocked on the bathroom door. On the other side he heard his roommate _**Einstein**_ singing "Sweet Adeline" loud and off-key. Dodger knocked again "Einy" he said and then continued to knock "Einy come on man, I'm supposed to be at the bar in an hour" he said louder. "Who is it" said Einstein in his friendly deep voice, course he isn't the brightest bulb but definitely polite, "it's your favorite roommate" Dodger said "Francis?" he answered, Dodger swatted himself in the face "hurry up it's Dodger man" shouted Dodger.

Einstein came to the door dressed in his construction clothes "that was fast" said Dodger. "Oh I wasn't in the shower" said Einstein "then why's the water running" asked Dodger confused "it makes me feel peaceful" he said with a smile on his face "good morning Dodge" Einstein continued as he walked away smiling. "What I wouldn't give to know what it's like to be that guy" said Dodger dumbfounded at his roommates constant optimism, he then continued into the bathroom to take his shower.

Dodger certainly lived with quite a group of misfits; first there's Tito who's a self proclaimed "ladies man" and "dance prodigy" who has a very energetic personality and is a technician for an electric company, then there's Francis who was an actor on the West End theatre district in London but then turned to teaching British literature at the local high school when he couldn't find work and he is also a valued participant of "Shakespeare in the Park," Einstein is the chipper and somewhat absent-minded elder of the group who works as a construction worker due to his strength, last, but certainly not least, is Rita who is the voice of reason of the group who regrettably works as a dancer for the popular Mad Dogs Club, though she'd rather teach dance than dance to take her clothes for stupid horny men.

"Tito will you shut that racket off" shouted Francis irritated, Tito was listening to his samba music again "oh come on Frankie, it's better than that pussy music you listen to" Tito said nonchalantly "it's called Puccini and for the last time it's Francis" Francis retorted. "Quiet you two" said Rita making breakfast "your gonna wake up her royal bitchiness" Rita of course referred to their neighbor across the hall, aspiring actress Georgette Foxworth, who was famous not only for her singing but her temperament. She worked as a singer at a seedy jazz club called "Cool Cats" around the corner. "Now I need to go over some figures with you guys" Rita continued "we haven't got a dime and our dear landlords Roscoe and Desoto are threatening to throw us out again" she said with worry. Tito walked over to the table "oralé what are they gettin' burned up about, we only owe 'em for a month" he said "maybe it's because a certain roommate paid for a woman by the name of...oh what was it oh yes Juanita Maria Concheeta Salvia de Ruiz" Francis spoke "Hijo de Puta" shouted Tito "okay that...is...enough you two" shouted Rita "now let's ante up what we've got, that goes for you too Dodger" she continued as he entered the room in his usual clothes consisting of a leather jacket, a plain white t-shirt, tattered jeans and black sneakers.

Dodger and the gang totaled up their cash, but that was barely enough for them to pay rent, let alone buy themselves something to eat. "Well we're doomed" said Dodger as he walked to the door "it's not funny Dodge" growled Rita. "Okay look kids I gotta get to work, lucky for me it's payday so who knows maybe when I come back I'll bring a fortune" Dodger said with his witty charm. Suddenly Dodger bumped into someone in the hallway and spilled his coffee on said person "ugh you idiot why don't look where your going" yelled Georgette "why don't you go where you're looking" Dodger retorted, again wittingly. Georgette examined her dress "great now I have to change _again_ " she shouted "good because suede ain't a good look on you" Dodger joked as he headed downstairs. Georgette shouted from the stairway "you mongrel wretch" but Dodger held up his middle finger as he went down and finally out the door.

Tito came in the hallway as soon as he heard Georgette ranting "oyé baby how's about you and I catch a flick then go dancing" Tito said smoothly then puckered his lips hoping for a kiss, but sadly was met with a hard slap in the face. Rita came to help her roommate back on his feet "God you can be so cruel even on your best day Georgette" she scowled, but Georgette scoffed and headed for her apartment then she looked back "slut" she said to Rita "bitch" Rita said back to her.

Dodger came to his workplace called "Ivory Keys" an underground piano bar where he played and sang at for work. Dodger was a Juilliard dropout, he didn't feel like the music he played was his own, so he left behind his scholarship, his stuck up wealthy parents & started writing his own stuff. Though the pay sucked he liked the work and he got along with most of his coworkers, but not his manager. "So he finally decides to come to work" said an Irish Terrier at the bar "good morning Kelly, love what you did with your hair there scruffy" said Dodger. After saying hi to his coworkers Dodger came to his piano and spread his fingers across the keys and then started playing. "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin was a personal favorite of his, after he finished, he felt like he was floating in midair.

After rehearsal, Dodger went out for a smoke, he puffed the smoke and exhaled it out slowly and calmly. Suddenly his calm silence was broken by a sound from the alleyway "I told you I'd find you, you little fuck" shouted the big Rottweiler "get him up" he shouted to the other dogs who hoisted up Oliver. The Rottweiler proceeded to beat up on Oliver until a shout caused him to stop "hey" the shout came from Dodger. "Fellas come on" he said nonchalantly "it's a beautiful day huh, why do you have to ruin it by beating up on poor defenseless kids, it just ain't polite" he retorted. "Man can you believe this asshole comin' up in here" the Rottweiler said with frustration "know what I'm gon' do, I'm gon' kick yo ass and then I'm gon' go back to kicking this little pissants ass" he continued. He walked over to Dodger and threw a punch, only to have it dodged and to receive a punch from Dodger in the process "they don't call me 'The Artful Dodger' for nothin' bozo" Dodger said. The Rottweiler fell over and Dodger proceeded towards his other thugs "okay who's next" he asked casually.

Dodger came up to the first thug and immediately wrestled him to the ground and then the other ones ganged up on him. He kicked two others in the crotch and then the other up the head and by the time he was done beating on them, they upped and ran like cowards. "Whoo" sighed Dodger "some scrap huh kid" he asked Oliver, who was passed out. "Whoa hey kid" Dodger tried to wake him up "hey come on don't do this to me" and with that Oliver woke up startled and hyperventilating. "Whoa, whoa take it easy kid they're gone" Dodger said reassuringly as Oliver started calming down "Jesus kid you smell like piss" Dodger said noting the stain on Oliver's pants. Oliver started to tear up "hey, hey come on kid it's okay" said Dodger "why mama, why did you leave me out here all alone" Oliver cried. Dodger could tell Oliver has been through hard times and needed someone to be there for him "hey kid, why don't we get you cleaned up and something to eat, huh" Dodger asked "okay" Oliver said meekly. He didn't no why but he felt safe with this dog, because for the first time he felt like he had a friend.

 _ **Well there you have it. Please review!**_


	3. Unexpected Surprises

**_Well here's Ch. 3, I hope y'all like it. It gets a little in depth with Dodger and Rita, but just read it and I'll guarantee you'll like it!_**

Dodger kept his hand on Oliver's shoulder, leading him to a hotdog stand where a fresh batch of dogs were already cooking up. The aroma was enough to make you faint with bliss.

"Yo what's happenin' Ricky" said Dodger to his St. Bernard friend, while Oliver was hiding behind him.

"Oh I'm just fine Dodge how are things going at the..." Ricky paused when he saw the little kitten behind his friend. "Well, since when did you get into babysitting" Ricky continued jokingly.

"Ha, ha funny, but this is a serious case" said Dodger changing from a look of sarcasm to serious "this kid has had a hell of a morning and I'm treatin' him to something good to eat and what better thing to eat than your delicious dogs" he continued.

Ricky than made up a couple of hotdogs and handed them over to Dodger, to which Dodger paid him in the cash he was loaned from his boss. As they sat down on a bench together, Oliver immediately munched on his hotdog and within ten or fifteen seconds later it was gone. Oliver took a sigh of relief that he had something to eat, truth be told he hadn't had anything decent to eat in weeks.

"Jesus kid, you ate that thing like it was only thing keeping you alive" Dodger said with a slight chuckle.

"You'd feel that way if...if your mom fed you nothing but crumbs" Oliver stuttered with pain in his voice.

When Oliver said that, Dodger knew that sending him back to his mom was out of the question. Group home would be another bad idea, the kids in there would tear his little body apart. So, Dodger then decided that the best idea would be to take him back to his place. He knows his roommates won't mind; Rita has a little niece living with her single sister in Sutton Place and she just loves her to pieces, Tito has six little brothers back in Harlem with his folks so he's a real kid person when they're not pushing his buttons, Francis teaches kids, albeit teenagers, but it still wouldn't be a problem and Einstein has a couple of kids in community college who write to him every week. It was then settled, Dodger motioned for Oliver to come along and with that, the little orange kitten hurried to Dodgers side and clung to him.

Back at the apartment, Rita was trying on some lingerie for her job and she looked in the mirror and met her reflection with disgust.

"God how low have I sunk" she said with a groan in her voice "just take it easy, in about two weeks I'll have my studio and I can put this all behind me" she continued with a better attitude.

Rita has danced all her life; when she was three she took ballet, when she was ten she took contemporary, at thirteen she took tap and so on and so forth. She studied at Juilliard, which is where she also met Dodger, but dropped out because her professors were telling her to stay conservative with her studies, but she felt too free for that. But, jobs for dancers were very scarce especially in Brooklyn, so Rita opted to save up and earn her own dance studio. But then Rock Bottom settled in and she had no other option but to dance for money, but she was smart not to let stupid men take advantage of her. The only man in her life whoever treated her with respect was Dodger and he, to her, is the only gentleman in town, albeit with dry wit and sarcasm.

*knocking on the door*

"Hey Rita, could you open up please I forgot my keys" shouted Dodger on the other side.

Rita thought it'd be a good idea to surprise Dodger with her clad in lingerie, but when she opened the door she took no notice of the kitten under his arm until Dodger rushed to cover his eyes.

"Jesus Rita" Dodger shouted as Rita went to go grab a robe to put on.

"Sorry I thought you were alone" she shouted from the bathroom.

Dodger told Oliver to go to his room and wait till he calls him and then he turned to face the very confused Saluki.

"Dodge what's going on" asked Rita

"Look, the kid was involved in a scrap and I helped him out of it" Dodger said "and he told me that his mom ditched him and he has nowhere else to go. What else could I do?" He continued.

"Wait she just ditched him" said Rita confused.

"Yeah I know horrible isn't it" said Dodger who was just as sad as Rita was.

"Well what are you gonna do, send him to a group home" asked Rita with concern.

"What and let them beat the shit out of the kid like they did to me, fat chance" said Dodger.

"So is he gonna stay here then" asked Rita.

Dodger told Rita what he was gonna do and she decided to support his decision. The people she was concerned about was the rest of the gang. Dodger agreed to give the guys the business when they get back.

As time went by, the guys finally came home from work and came barging through.

"Hi ho, hi ho, it's home from work we go" said Tito as he came in with his usual enthusiastic flare.

Dodger was at his piano and then turned around to greet his roommates.

"Hey buddy boys welcome back, how was your day" Dodger asked.

"Ugh that terrible Moose fellow was acting up again" said Francis irritated "he destroyed the entire English language in a single sentence" he continued

"I met some guy at work" said Einstein

Regarding his sexual preference, Einy preferred men. He came out after his wife's untimely death after the birth of their second child. He didn't know why, but he felt that it was because of an absence of his father when he was young or the fact that he hung out at work all day with strong sweaty men. His roommates and his kids were cool with it, but it still weirded Tito out.

"Good for you Einy" said Rita walking in "what's he like" she continued

"He's nice and I thought he had a nice..." he paused and blushed

"Ooh nice what" asked Dodger interested, while Tito groaned

"Nice bum" he finished while everyone, but Tito laughed

"Well, Angela quit her job" said Tito feeling disappointed about hearing his friend quitting

"Get out, why" asked Dodger

"She got back from the doctors office and she's positive man" Tito said "man she said her husband was devastated" he continued. There was a silence in the room that lasted about two minutes. AIDS were becoming something of an epidemic around this time and everyone was afraid for their health.

"Well while we're in the surprise department" said Dodger "I got something to tell you guys" he went on

"No way you finally finished that song" said Tito ecstatically "let's go celebrate at Rita's job" he said looking flirtatiously at Rita.

"Ha, ha but that's not it" she said

"Guys you're gonna wanna sit down for this" Dodger said, everyone of course did what was asked "something happened today at work" he said grimly.

"Good lord, you were sacked" said Francis jumping to conclusions

"No" said Dodger irritated "there was this kid and..." he paused "he was in a scrap and I saved him, but I found out that he was ditched last night, by his own mom" Dodger continued

"Then what happened" asked Einstein on the edge of his seat

"Well I brought him here" said Dodger bluntly

"No, Dodge man" said Tito "don't get involved, it ain't your problem to deal with" he continued

"Come on, I just said his mom ditched 'em" Dodger said outraged

"Yeah, well I missed the part where that's your problem homes" said Tito worried for his friend

"Hey kid come on out" Dodger called to Oliver in his room "guys this here's Oliver" Dodger said

"Hello young man" said Francis courteously

"Hey there kitty" said Einstein with a big welcoming smile on his face

Tito took a minute but he greeted the little kitten "sup gato" he said to him

"Oliver this here's Einstein, Francis and Tito" Dodger said to the kid "three of the funniest guys on Avenue A" he continued

"Hello" Oliver said meekly "it's n-nice to m-m-meet all of you" he continued stuttering

"Whereabouts are you from young kitten" asked Francis

"The projects" Oliver said looking down at his own shoes

"Miérda, your lucky to be here homie" said Tito "I got a cousin in the projects and its hell man" he continued

"So we're keepin' 'im" said Einstein still smiling

"Yeah Einy we are" said Dodger

"As much as I like to help the unfortunate Dodger, you need to think about the big picture; where's he going to sleep, where's he going to school, what if his parents come looking for him" Francis said with concern.

"She won't come looking for me" Oliver said "she doesn't care anymore" he continued.

Everyone went silent when Oliver spoke, Rita looked like she was about to cry and Tito looked out the window.

"Very well" said Francis "he stays and the other business we'll work out later" he continued.

After a while, Oliver talked with everyone in order to get to know them. Then everyone disbanded and went to their rooms, except for Rita who went to work from 7:00-11:00 at night.

Oliver was getting changed for bed, which is when Dodger noticed the iron mark on the kids back.

"Poor kid" Dodger thought "his mom must be a real sad case" he thought again.

"Dodger" asked Oliver "i-is it okay to not love your mom" he continued.

Dodger thought of his own mom, she had paid little to no attention to him growing up on Park Avenue. The only time she ever conversed with him was when he'd win his piano competitions or to keep his shirt buttoned. The day he quit Juilliard she didn't say a word when his father literally threw him out of the house

"You can't help but love her kid" Dodger said in a melancholy tone "but you don't have to like her" he continued.

Being that there was no extra bed, Oliver was offered the couch to sleep, but Dodger suggested his bed was more comfortable than the "squeaky nightmare" known as "the couch." Both laid back to back, so it wouldn't be awkward for the older man or the young lad. Truth be told, the only time Dodger slept with another male was with his twin brother Brady when they were kids. Just the thought of his brother, nearly made him cry; when they were in high school Brady committed suicide, but Dodger never knew why. He guessed because of the pressure their parents put on them; he couldn't take it so he put an end to it all. In a way, Oliver had the same innocence Brady had and Dodger found that to be special and needed to be preserved, before someone or something smashed it out of him.

 ** _Whew, I tell you, this chapter took me quite a few days! To those who are skeptical about Einstein being gay, I decided to make one of the characters gay because I want everyone to read about the challenges people had to face before the end of the 80's. It was a difficult time with many challenges. Please review!_**


	4. A New Day Begins

**_Next chapter, OH MY GOD THIS TOOK FOREVER! This chapter will involve the mother and son bond that Oliver and Rita have with each other! I promise to involve the others more in the next chapter, but for right now I'd like to try this out._**

Oliver awoke to the sound of Dodger's alarm clock/radio playing a song he recognized, "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson. Dodger was getting dressed in his usual clothes and with that, Oliver crawled out of bed.

"Mornin' kid" said Dodger.

"Good Morning" said Oliver back meekly

Dodger started heading for the front door, where Tito was lying on the ground with a red cheek. Obviously he had flirted with Georgette in the hallway again and was met with the same result every time.

"Man, Tito why do you try with her" Dodger asked while handing him an ice pack he got from the fridge.

"I think she likes me man" Tito said with his unbeatable optimism.

Dodger and Einstein helped him up and then the trio went out the door and straight to work.

"Rita's gonna be takin' care of ya while we're at work, okay" said Dodger to Oliver reassuringly.

"O-Okay" said Oliver stuttering.

Francis was sitting with Rita, sorting out papers about the school they'll send Oliver to. As soon as all was said and done, Francis went out the door and it was just Oliver and Rita.

"Okay honey, how's about you sit down and I'll make you something good to eat for breakfast" said Rita with a sweetness in her voice "so whatcha wanna have, huh" she continued.

"Do you have waffles" Oliver asked politely.

"Well no" said Rita disappointedly "but I tell you what" she continued, this time ecstatically "I have a friend who works as a waitress at this diner that makes great waffles, maybe we can convince her to convince her boss to give us a discount on breakfast" she said excitedly.

"Okay" said Oliver

With that, the two walked out the door, but not without running into Georgette.

"Well, well what happened, one of your many boyfriends didn't wanna pay for child support anymore" Georgette said with a smirk.

"Up yours Georgette" Rita retaliated back "come on Oliver, we wouldn't wanna make her royal highness late for her audition" she continued with a smile.

Georgette just scoffed and headed out once Oliver and Rita were out the door.

"Who was that" asked Oliver.

"Georgette Foxworth 'The greatest actress since forever' apparently" said Rita mocking her snob of a neighbor. "Don't worry though, she's all bark and no bite" Rita continued while winking at Oliver.

Oliver and Rita made their way down the streets of Avenue A, which had bums and other shady characters around every corner. It was also home to many of the artistic avant garde types of New York; musicians, artists, performers, etc. After walking a mile, the duo finally reached the diner where a pretty Labrador walked up to greet them.

"Hey Rita, how are ya hun" she greeted "oh, and who's this" she said noticing the kid holding her hand.

"Hi Sophie, this is Oliver. I told him all about y'all's delicious waffles and he wanted to give 'em a try" said Rita greeting her friend while also introducing Oliver.

"Well, why don't you two follow me and I'll show you to your table" said Sophie grabbing a couple of menus.

Oliver and Rita sat down at there table, made their order and then were completely silent. Oliver had a very contemplative look on his face; he was in very deep thought about something and Rita was determined to know what was wrong.

"What's wrong sweetie" Rita asked softly.

"Nothing" Oliver said meekly.

"Come on, something's gotta be wrong" she said coaxing him a little.

"It's just..." Oliver began "it's strange being around all this and not..."

"WHAT THE FUCK!" shouted a woman at the end of the counter "I'm not paying for this shit" she continued.

The woman was Oliver's mom and she was arguing with the manager over her bill. It didn't seem like she noticed that Oliver was there, but her attention was fixed on the manager. Oliver ducked down just as she turned around and hoped that she didn't see him. Luckily for him she didn't even look at Rita or under their table.

"And not around that" Rita finished Oliver's earlier statement "she your mom?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah" said Oliver looking down "how'd you guess" he asked.

"She has your color" Rita said "and your eyes, but they lacked your sweetness" she continued.

"Thanks" said Oliver feeling a little better

"Does she always act like that" Rita asked curiously.

"Sometimes, last time she did something like this she threw a salt shaker at a woman's head" Oliver continued.

"Charming woman" Rita said with a chuckle.

"What was your mom like" Oliver asked with curiosity in his eyes.

"Oh, wow" Rita said sighing.

"I-If you don't wanna talk about it I..." Oliver said

"No it's okay" said Rita stopping him.

Rita took a deep breath and then looked at Oliver

"My mom was my best friend, she was very supportive of my dance career" Rita said "but since I dropped out of Juilliard, I lost contact with my folks" she said in a melancholy tone "I tried calling, writing letters and even going to their house in Malba, but...nothing" she continued.

"At least your mom loved you, my mom called me 'the worst drunken mistake' she ever had" Oliver said

"How in the world could a woman like that raise a sweetheart like you" Rita asked while holding Oliver's hand.

"Okay, here you guys go" said Sophie bringing them their food "let me know if you need anythin' else" Sophie said then walked to the next table.

Oliver and Rita ate into their food and as Oliver took his first bite, he looked like he was in heaven. He melted into the taste of the butter and the syrup, savoring each bite as it came.

"I hadn't had anything this good since my mom got me that hotdog at Coney Island" said Oliver ecstatically.

"What were y'all doin' at Coney Island?" asked Rita curiously

"My mom was working at a burlesque, where she wore tasteless outfits and took them off for weirdo guys" said Oliver embarrassed.

"Boy do I know how that feels" said Rita more embarrassed than Oliver.

"Why do ladies do that kind of work" asked Oliver curiously as he took a bite of his waffle.

"Well, some don't have a choice, others do it because they think their body will get them places" she said.

"I certainly don't have a choice" said Sophie as she came up, overhearing their conversation "I have two kids at home who's schooling I'm trying to pay for and my deadbeat husband left us flat" she continued. "It's a hard world kid, but every cloud has a silver lining" she said perking up "who knows, destiny is probably waitin' around the corner somewhere" she continued.

"You go girl" said Rita raising her hand up "I on the other hand, am in the process of getting my own studio in two weeks" Rita continued.

"Good for you Rita, here let me go get your check" said Sophie heading to the register.

"Thanks Sophie" Rita said back to her friend

Once their meal was paid for, Oliver and Rita headed out to the sidewalk and started heading back to the apartment. On their way back, Oliver seemed to have his mind on something, so Rita thought she would ask him what he's thinking of.

"Whatcha thinkin' about" Rita asked playfully

"Yesterday I overheard that your roommate Mr. Einstein was wanting to go out with a guy" he said like he was weirded out.

"Is there a little curiosity in that statement kitten" Rita asked.

"Well it's just, my mom had always told me that homos are terrible people who sleep with members of their family" Oliver said bluntly, causing Rita to blush.

"Okay look first off, don't say 'homo' it's mean and hurtful, second of all don't believe everything you see in the news kid, it kills brain cells. Love is love, as long as you're not hurting yourself or others and Einy just happens to like guys, no skin off anyone else's nose" Rita explained to Oliver.

"Well he seems like a real nice guy" Oliver said "I guess my mom was wrong" he continued.

"Einy is the sweetest guy you'll ever meet, if he swung the other way I would've like to have gone out with him, but I can't force people to change" Rita said "Dodger is the closest I got to a man friend I suppose" she continued.

Suddenly, Rita heard the sound of footsteps behind her and she turned to see no one following her and Oliver. She kept Oliver close and they walked on not hearing the footsteps again. What they didn't know was, Oliver's mom was trailing them, just in case she needed Oliver for when the social worker ever came around or she needed her welfare checks. Once they were in the apartment, she stopped and waited to see which window her son would go to and once she saw, she immediately made her way out of there.

"You'll never have a family" she said to herself venomously "you'll be back" she said looking back at the apartment building "you always come back, you limp dick little pussy" she finished.

With that she walked to the bus stop and waited; Oliver had a new life, with new friends, but who knew how long it would last. Who knew how long it would be till his mom needed him to come home again. It was a new day and a new start, but nothing good lasts forever.

 ** _So there you have it! God, Oliver's mom is very charming isn't she? Please review!_**


	5. Oliver and Dodger

**Oh my god! It took me forever to write this because of school, but here it is guys! Enjoy and review!**

Oliver spent the whole day at the apartment watching cartoons while Rita was working around the house. Oliver offered to help but she told him not to worry at all and that she would handle it.

The whole time, Oliver kept thinking about how his mom left him like that and not even caring about his wellbeing. How could she do that? To her own son, her own flesh and blood. Then he thought about the people who took him in, why in the world would a group of strangers want to take in a nobody like him, he wondered.

Suddenly, Oliver's thoughts were cut off by the sound of the door opening with Dodger coming in with a bag of groceries that Rita asked him to pick up. Dodger said hey to Rita and handed her the groceries, then he journeyed to the living room where Oliver was sitting.

"Sup kid" Dodger said coolly

"Nothing much, R-Rita took me out for w-waffles today" Oliver stuttered out.

"Ah, She did eh?" asked Dodger "well it's good to hear your gettin' taken care of" he finished.

Oliver looked down with a puzzled expression on his face and Dodger couldn't help but feel curious.

"Yo kid, what's eatin' ya" Dodger asked with worry.

Oliver looked like he was going to cry any minute now, but he held back his tears and answered the curious dog.

"It's just that...I've never really had anyone be nice to me" Oliver said meekly "I just have to know..." He stuttered "why me?" He finished.

"Why you what" asked Dodger confused.

"Why would you take in a nobody like me" Oliver said bluntly but meekly.

Dodger knew sooner or later that this question would come up, so he took a deep breath and tried his best to explain why he did what he did.

"Well you see..." He started "I took you in because you reminded me of someone I knew" he continued "see, I had a twin brother who was special to me and everyone else around him" Dodger was almost choking up "his name was Brady and he-...he was a great guy; but he was very shy and innocent" Dodger was now trying to fight his words out "the only person he could be himself with, was me. Growing up as kids, he was the golden apple of my parents' eye" now he was getting to the point "but he couldn't handle the pressures of bein' in the limelight and the pressure our folks put on him to keep succeeding, so..." now Dodger was really breaking up "so one day he asks where the extra hose was and I...I told him it was in the garage, but I didn't think nothin' of it" now Oliver was tearing up "so after I was done practicing my music...I...I...I heard my ma screamin' bloody murder and I ran to the garage to see Brady was...hangin' there" he finished.

Dodger completely broke down crying; Oliver could feel the pain inside Dodger swelling up, so he reached over and grabbed his hand.

"To this day I feel guilty that I didn't stop him" dodger said through his tears "I should've put it together" he said wiping his eyes "my folks then replaced me as their prodigy and kept pressuring me by...blaming me for what happened to Brady" he said almost irritated. "I just upped and quit on them" Dodger continued "I didn't want them hanging that over my head" he finished.

"But it wasn't your fault" said Oliver wiping his eyes.

"Heh, tell that to my ass of a dad" he said gruffly

"At least you knew your dad" said Oliver "mine left after I was born" he continued

"That must've been rough" said Dodger

"If it means anything, I know how you feel...my brother Taylor hung himself too" Oliver said somberly "seeing him dangling broke my mom up and she became more bitter" he finished.

Truth be told, Oliver was one of a litter of six; the other four were sold by their mom, but she only kept him and his brother Taylor, who was a black and white kitten and then Oliver told Dodge something he never told a living soul

"Our mom used to make him sit in the bathtub with his clothes off" he said grimly "she used to touch him everywhere when she washed him and he didn't like it at all. Sometimes he squealed out 'no' to her and she'd slap him over and over" he finished.

Dodger was completely in shock, his mom was officially messed up to do something like that and to her own family...her own blood for Christ's sake.

"Why would she do that" Dodger asked completely dumbfounded

Oliver didn't say much, but he could only utter these few words.

"He looked like our dad" Oliver said choking on tears.

Dodger and Oliver embraced each other tightly and both were crying. Oliver was sobbing into Dodgers shirt, while Dodger had tears streaming down his fur.

"Look kid" Dodger said, breaking their embrace calmly "I wish I could tell you everything's going to be okay, but...all I can say is that there are gonna be people who hurt ya and treat ya like shit" Dodger said bluntly "it's a dog eat dog and cat eat cat world out there and they do it for no damn reason" he continued "but that don't mean you have to live your life that way" Dodger said, this time smiling a bit "you're a good kid, don't ever forget that" he said winking at the kid.

With that, the two embraced in a pound hug and let go laughing. Suddenly the moment was cut off by an abrupt knock at the door.

"Hey Dodge, can you get that" Rita shouted from the kitchen; it sounded like she was cooking, so Dodger went to the door. When Dodger answered the door, his expression changed from cool and easygoing to irritated and tense.

"Fuck me" Dodger said to himself

"Sup' Dodge" said a Doberman standing on the other side of the door with another Doberman, who looked like he was his brother. "Mind if we come in, we got some business to discuss" the Doberman said with a wicked grin.

Dodger and Rita knew that there was gonna be trouble, but they shuddered to think what would happen if they found out about Oliver staying with them...

 **Well, that's all folks! Next chapter, we welcome back the infamous Doberman brothers!**


	6. Trouble A-Brewing

Oliver sat in the TV room waiting for Dodger, but then Rita came through the door with a worried look on her face.

"Ollie baby, listen" Rita said panicking "I want you to take the fire escape down to my girlfriend Dee Dee's place and wait there until I come for you, okay" she said looking at him.

"Why" was all Oliver could ask.

"Our landlords are here and they're not very nice people" she said with the look of worry still plastered on her face "especially to kids" she continued "I need you to go down and tell Dee Dee "Rita's askin' for a favor" okay" she finished.

"O-Okay" Oliver stuttered to the worried Saluki.

Oliver went down the escape like Rita said and knocked on Dee Dee's window. When he told her the situation she let him in and closed the window. Rita, back upstairs, returned to the kitchen where Dodger was sitting with their two least favorite people in the world, Roscoe and Desoto Sykes.

"So how you been Rita" said Roscoe with a flirtatious grin "still settling for second class" he said looking at Dodger with a more wicked grin.

"Ooh Roscoe, you got something on your lip" Dodger retorted "I think Desoto cummed too far when you cock-slammed him this morning" Dodger finished dying of laughter until Rita hit him on the back of his head.

"Shut it Dodge" said Rita gritting her teeth and glaring Dodger down.

"Roscoe and I went over your figures and so far you're two months behind" Desoto said while taking off his sunglasses "so far as we see it, you have two options: either pay us now or..." his gaze pointed to Rita "one of you could make a personal arrangement" Desoto finished with a wicked grin on his face.

"I'd rather rot" Rita retorted in an annoyed tone.

"That can be arranged" said Roscoe responding to her.

Meanwhile, Oliver told Dee Dee he forgot his baseball cap upstairs and wanted to get it so the "land lords" won't take it, but Dee Dee told him not to go up until Rita comes down to get him. Oliver however, wasn't about to lose his property to a bunch of jerks, so he snuck up the fire escape and opened the window. Oliver found his cap and turned to leave, but then he stopped when he heard loud talking coming from the kitchen down the hallway. Someone was talking, it sounded like very formal accent so Oliver assumed it was Francis talking, which meant the others came back from their jobs. Then he heard another voice which sounded almost bullying like, which meant that the other person speaking must be one of the land lords.

"Ya know, Rita, I can't figure out..." Roscoe said "why you'd rather hang around a dump like this..." he continued "when you could be living uptown with a class act like myself" he finished.

"Isn't it rather dangerous to use one's entire vocabulary in a single sentence" Francis retorted.

"Hey, Frankie, get down, brother. You bad, man" Tito said laughing and fist pumping his friend.

Suddenly Roscoe stood up, grabbed Francis and pinned him to the wall

"You got something to say to me, fat boy" he asked growling

All Francis could do was stammer, he was completely afraid of what would happen next

"Come on, let me at 'em" Tito growled as Einstein held him back

Roscoe chuckled at Tito's bravery "Go ahead. Let him go" he said smiling

Einstein stepped in front of Tito and looked down at Roscoe. Although Roscoe and Desoto were six feet tall, Einstein outranked them both by a towering seven feet and two inches.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size" Einstein said with a low growl

"Like you, old man" Roscoe said staring straight up at the Great Dane

"Hey Roscoe, Roscoe, is this us losing our sense of humor" Dodger said with an air of sarcasm in his voice

"Nah, I ain't lost my sense of humor" said Roscoe with a wicked grin

Suddenly, quick as a flash, Roscoe pulled a gun out of his sweater and shot the microwave.

"See...I find that funny" said Roscoe chuckling sadistically.

Suddenly, Roscoes phone rang and he answered, he answered with a hello and then his wicked grin vanished.

"Well damn it how did it happen" Roscoe shouted "what, never mind baby I'll be right there" he finished in a calm tone and with that hung up his phone.

Desoto was looking around the loft for something of value that he might pawn off the group, but as he expected, he found nothing. But then, his sense of smell picked up something and he went to where the scent was coming from. He then opened a closed door and then Oliver fell to the floor at Desoto's shoes; apparently he had been listening in on the conversation the whole time. Oliver looked up at Desoto and a wicked smile came across the Dobermans face.

"Hey, hey, Roscoe" Desoto said as he picked the little kitten up by his shirt "look what I found" he finished.

"Forget it Desoto" Roscoe said while putting his phone in his shirt pocket "we gotta go" he said turning to the door.

Desoto chuckled as he heard Oliver whimpering "I like cats" he said in a low voice "I like to eat 'em" he said licking his lips.

Now Oliver was getting really scared, he didn't know if he was serious or just being cruel, but just when he saw the dog bare his teeth he could tell he wasn't bluffing, so Oliver reacted by clawing his muzzle. Desoto shouted in pain and with that he dropped Oliver. The little kitten bolted away from the dog and headed for the fire escape, but then he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt.

"Little motherfucker, you ain't gettin' away with that" Desoto said angrily.

Suddenly the door burst open and everyone shouted at Desoto to stop. Then, Roscoe walked and saw what was happening

"Well, well" Roscoe said returning that wicked smile on his face "what do we have here" he said as he looked Oliver straight in the face.

"I'm just baby sitting for a friend" Rita burst out "just let him go" she shouted "you wouldn't want a child abuse lawsuit damaging y'alls reputation would you" Rita said with a smug look aimed at Roscoe, but he just chuckled.

"Oh Rita" he started "you never had talent when it came to bluffing" he said putting his sunglasses back on. "Bring the kid, we'll take him to Riverview" he finished motioning for his brother.

"NO, NO" Oliver screamed to the top of his lungs

The last place he wanted to go was Riverview, it was the worst boys home, where all the kids were thugs.

"Quit screamin' you little fuck" Desoto shouted.

With that, Oliver bit Desoto's hand, fell on the floor, then bolted for Dodgers room and closed the door. Roscoe and Desoto headed for the room, but then Dodger blocked the entrance.

"Get the fuck out of the way, Dodger" Roscoe said gritting his teeth.

"That's enough Roscoe" Dodger said as everyone blocked the door with him.

Suddenly, Roscoe's phone rang again and he cringed at the sound

"Run along, Roscoe" Rita said with the same smug grin on her face "your wife is calling" she finished, still grinning.

Roscoe and his brother growled, but then Roscoe turned to the door.

"Come on Desoto, let's blow" Roscoe said, motioning for his brother to come on "but this ain't finished Dodger" he said turning around "y'all are gonna pay for this...starting with that cat" he finished, snarling.

"Yeah, you guys don't scare me; why don'tcha come over here say that to my face puto" said Tito who slammed the door when they left "yeah, nobody messes with family man" he finished, laughing.

"Well, now what are we gonna do" Rita asked with worry

"We'll figure somethin' out" said Dodger "for now we'll just take it easy and look out for each other" he finished.

Dodger then turned to his door and went inside to see if Oliver was okay. He found the little kitten balled up in the closet, crying his eyes out. Dodger could smell urine on his person and concluded that he wet himself. Just looking at his eyes, he could tell that the little kitten had never been more scared in his life.

"Jesus, that was intense huh kid" Dodger said chuckling a little

Oliver didn't say a word past a meek "I'm sorry"

Dodger just ruffled Oliver's hair and helped him up on his feet

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up" Dodger said, leading Oliver to the bathroom.

Oliver definitely learned an important lesson today, that there are some people who are mean because they're hurt and depressed and some for the sake of pleasure. From that moment on, he had to be cautious, because if those two ever came back...it'd be the end of him.


	7. Toughen up

Oliver woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon; the fresh and intoxicating aroma pushed him from his bed and led him to the kitchen. His drowsiness was interrupted by a loud and irritated voice.

"In the name of God, would you slow your appetite?! You're making a mess" said Francis to Tito, who was chewing down on his food.

"Well I gotta get in to work fast homes, Mrs. Fuentes lost the power in her building and Mr. Rokowski's A.C. is out" said Tito with his mouth full, again irritating Francis.

Dodger caught eye of Oliver coming to the kitchen.

"Morning champ" the dog said with a sympathetic smile on his face "guess what, you and I are going out today" he continued while returning to his paper.

When everybody finished breakfast, they made their way out together. Rita went to the salon with her girlfriend Dee Dee, Tito went to see to Mrs. Fuentes and her sudden power outage, Francis went to class, Einstein went to work at the construction yard and Dodger and Oliver walked down the block.

"Now kid here's a little advice" Dodger said looking down at Oliver "never let people walk all over you and never let them know you're afraid" he finished while Oliver looked up confused "in other words, don't piss yourself every time someone intimidates ya, whaddya think that makes you look like" Dodger continued ruggedly.

"A big chicken" says Oliver meekly.

"Well sorta" said Dodger chuckling "point being kid, it's a rough world out there and ya need ta toughen up a little" he continued "and I'm gonna help ya out" he finished.

The two made their way to a small neighborhood park and took off their jackets. Dodger took a fighting stance and told Oliver to do the same. Oliver's stance was a bit off balance and his fists were mostly near his face, which wasn't a bad thing, but he shouldn't keep them too close.

"No, no, no, no, no" said Dodger walking over to Oliver "you gotta keep your legs more in and don't keep your hands too close to your face" said Dodger "if someone punches you, you could get double punched" he finished.

Half an hour has passed and Oliver still hasn't got a punch in, so Dodger decides to use another method.

"Okay, look kid, think back to the moment when Desoto had ya in his grip" said Dodger motioning his fist, imitating Desoto's grip. "Now visualize the son of a bitch and hit me with all ya..." he nearly finished.

Suddenly out of the blue, Oliver punches Dodger right in the face and then the guy falls back on his ass. Oliver runs to see if Dodger is okay and he sees that he gave him a black eye.

"Oh God" said Oliver with tears starting to flood his eyes "oh God Dodge I'm so sorry" he mewled.

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it kid" Dodger said chuckling a bit, then his chuckling turned into laughter "holy crap" he blurted out "no one has ever racked me one since the first grade" he said still laughing. "Goddamn kid your good" Dodger said with pride.

"But your hurt" Oliver said confused, but still worried.

"Eh, I've taken worse, sides it'll heal up in a week or two" Dodger said nonchalantly.

Oliver still felt bad.

"Hey your a good kid" said Dodger "you just need a little ya know...confidence" he continued "just don't pick a fight ya know that'll end badly, that's my only advice, be a stand up guy not a thug" he finished.

Dodger and Oliver went home after the incident and along the way, Dodger told Oliver about all the fights he picked growing up and how he never got a single scratch up until now.

When they got back to the apartment Rita and Tito were there and when Rita noticed the black eye...

"Oh my God, Dodge what happened to you" Rita shouted with concern.

"Kid and I were doin' a little one on one and he got me right on the peeper" Dodger answered back.

Tito just burst out laughing and fell back in his chair.

"Homie you mean to tell me you got racked by a ten year old" Tito asked through his laughter.

"Hey I may have a black eye from a ten year old, but I'll still pound you into the ground" Dodger said wittingly.

Oliver knew what he did to his friend seemed very wrong, but to Dodger, Oliver was one of the toughest kids around and that was enough for him.

~MEANWHILE~

Angela Twist sat in her apartment in the the projects when suddenly she heard a knock at the door. She walked to the door and opened it to find two Doberman twins, one with a blue tie and the other a red one.

"Angela Twist" Roscoe asked

"Who wants to know" she asked while leaning against the door way.

"The guys who know where ya son is, if ya wanna get him back that is" said Desoto with a wicked grin.

"Why would I want that little pants-shitter back, only reason I would is if..." she tried to finish, but was cut off.

"Your checks stopped comin' bitch" said Roscoe.

Angela began to get scared a little when they mentioned her checks.

"Look whattya want" she asked "you want me to do something...I'd be willing" she she said while lifting her skirt flirtatiously.

"Nah, we don't screw cats...we like to skin 'em" Desoto said baring his teeth and his knife up against Angela's throat.

"Chill Desoto, we ain't here for that" said Roscoe holding back his brothers knife "unless of course miss kitty cooperates" he said looking back at Angela with a devilish smile.

"Whattya want me to do" Angela asked with some manner of interest.

"Simple, you do a favor for us and we'll do one for you" Roscoe continued.

"Like what" Angela asked.

"We have some tenants lookin out for your boy" Roscoe said "so we want you to...file a law suit, to scare them into pay in' what they owe us and don't worry, we'll pay for the lawyer, court date, everything" Roscoe continued "and in return we'll the little shit to Riverview and we'll convince our "friends" at social services to keep sending your checks" he finished.

"No don't do that" Angela said "I want to make him pay" she continued "I want him to pay for all those times he tried to run out on me and besides.." she said with a wicked smile growing across her face "who better to take care of him than his mommy" she finished with the smile still on her face.

Desoto laughed "I like this cat" he said.

"But in order for this to work" Roscoe said "your gonna have to put on the best performance of your life" he finished.

"Oh don't worry" said Angela "they never turn down the tears of a "loving" mother" Angela finished with a devious look on her face.

The deal was struck and Angela was paid in advance for her help. Oliver didn't know it, but he was in big trouble and this much was certain, when it comes to custody, no one would turn down the mother.

 **~Oh my God I'm finally finished with this freaking chapter! I'm sorry it took so long guys! I hope you like this chapter. *gasp* a conspiracy, wonder what'll happen? Oh wait, I just told you! Someone commented that I needed to make Oliver a little tougher and not make him wet himself so much, so I thought it over and decided to write this chapter and who better to teach him than the "Artful Dodger" himself. I promise to get the next one typed up soon, just be patient please! Next one I'll be digging into some of the characters personal lives (i.e. Dodger and Rita's relationship, Tito's brotherly attitude towards Oliver and Einsteins personal life) so stay tuned and please review!**


	8. The day that changed everything

Dodger was dragging on his cigarette, puffing the smoke slowly into his lungs and then finally exhaling with relief. He was lying back in his bed completely naked and Rita by his side, stroking his chest with her paw.

"Ya want me to open the window" Dodger said, while offering his cigarette to Rita.

"Sure, it'd be a good thing since Oliver's in the other room" she said while taking the cigarette.

Dodger opened the window and then returned to his bed where he began making out with the lovely Saluki.

"Wait a minute" Rita said pushing Dodger away softly and then she stared deep into Dodgers eyes "where are we Dodge" she asked him curiously.

"Well I'm looking around and I'm seeing a chair, a lamp, a closet and a nightstand by my bed, I'm gonna go with bedroom" he said sarcastically.

"You know what I mean" Rita said seriously.

"Jesus Rita, give me a break" Dodger said sitting up.

"Look Dodge, I've had my heart broken many times, I just want my pain now and not later" she said, almost demandingly.

"Look Rita" Dodger began "I'm not the relationship type and you knew that when we started this" he said to her.

"Oh I get it" Rita said "so you're saying that I screwed myself when I got into this" she continued harshly "well fuck you and fuck this shit, I'm gone" she said picking up her clothes.

"Now hold up a second Rita" Dodger said walking after her.

"Don't you 'hold up a second Rita' me" she said looking back at Dodge "two months we've been fooling each other and all I want is the love and respect you can give me" she spat at him. "I need a man you hear me, a man, not some pup who can't move past his pain" she said glaring at him.

"The fuck you know about pain" Dodger shouted at her "have you ever opened that garage door and see him dangle by his neck with the hose tied around it" he said referring to his brother "I saw him in pain, I've seen him grow thin and torn before he was sixteen" he said.

"Cut the crap Dodge and tell me what's really bothering you" Rita demanded.

"I'm just..." Dodger shouted, but then he paused for a breath and calmed down "I'm just not settled yet with my job and everything" he said.

"I knew it" Rita said "you see, that's the difference between us Dodge, unlike myself, you haven't done anything with your stuff" she said harshly, but truthfully. "Are you afraid that you'll fail is that it" Rita asked "Dodge you are so talented with your music" she said more kindly "if you would push yourself, you could make something of yourself and maybe we could move out of this neighborhood" she finished, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Look, I wouldn't know where ta begin" Dodger said "I had an opportunity and it's gone" he finished.

"It's never too late Dodge" Rita said cupping Dodgers left side of the face "just let me call Rudy and he can-" Rita said before Dodger cut her off.

"I'm not talkin' to that snake" Dodger said "four times he's promised a break for me and every time he's let me down" he finished, turning his back to Rita and then sitting down on the bed.

"We'll think of something" Rita said wrapping her arms over Dodgers shoulders "for now, let's relax" she said motioning her hand towards his crotch.

"Well hallelujah" Dodger said as he turned to Rita and embraced her in complete ecstasy.

Oliver was playing video games in the living room with Tito and Francis was on the couch reading "The Once and Future King" by Terence Hanbury White. Suddenly Oliver and Tito's attention turned to the sound of a thump against the wall.

"Damn he laying that pipe in there, go any longer the roof might cave in, know what I mean gato" Tito said laughing.

"Tito" Francis shouted "there is a child in the room, please" he finished.

"Mr. Francis, you don't have to I've heard worse from my mom" Oliver said.

"My dear boy it's called common decency" Francis said to Oliver "something that this house is lacking" he shouted over to Dodgers room, but no response was heard.

Suddenly, Einsteins door opened and out came the Great Dane wearing a tucked in blue shirt, blue jeans, brown shoes and carrying a black jacket.

"Well, where are you off to sir" asked Francis.

"I uh, got a date tonight" Einstein said putting his right hand behind his head.

"Oh yes, with that fellow from work" Francis asked curiously.

Einstein nodded and Tito groaned in disgust.

"Einy, whatever you do, don't kiss him in front of us, please man" Tito begged.

"Oh for gods sake man don't be such a prude" Einstein said hitting Tito on the back of the head.

"Uh, sure Tito, sure" Einstein said respecting his friends point of view.

It's not that Tito had a problem with Einsteins sexuality, it was the kissing that grossed him out more than anything. Their thoughts were cut off by a knock at the door and with that Einstein went to the door to answer. On the other side was a tall buff looking Labrador retriever wearing a salmon t-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers.

"Hey Rodney ya made it" Einstein said.

"Hey there stud" Rodney said as he reached over and kissed Einstein on the lips.

"Ugh" was Tito's response upon seeing the two males locking lips.

"Ah, that must mean you're Tito" said Rodney responding to the Chihuahuas obvious disgust of the display of affection.

"Yeah that's Tito and that's Francis, but we call him Frankie" said Einstein, despite the fact that Francis was fuming.

"It's just Francis and it is a pleasure sir, your exactly as Einstein said you were, excluding the part about your posterior" said Francis getting Einstein back for the Frankie bit.

"Frankie" said Einstein blushing wildly.

"Oh, been talking about my butt to your friends eh" said Rodney teasing Einstein playfully.

"Yeah, we've really been enjoying it, ugh" said Tito sarcastically.

Suddenly Rodney was taken off guard by the little orange kitten standing in front of him.

"Well and who is this" Rodney said bending down to Oliver's eye level.

"Hello sir my n-name is Oliver, i-it's very nice to m-meet you" Oliver stuttered while holding out his little paw.

"Oh Einy he's so cute" Rodney said with a look of 'omigod' written on his face as he shook Oliver's hand.

Suddenly, the moment was cut off by an abrupt shout from across the hall.

"Oh me, oh me, OH ME!" Georgette shouted.

"Oh stop" said Francis "stop butchering theater as we know it you unbearable cow" Francis shouted to the door across the hall.

"Hey whatchu doin' insultin' my woman man, let her work" Tito said shouting at Francis.

"Ah, so that's Georgette" Rodney said with a smile on his face.

"I take it Einstein has told you about our dear Ms. Foxworth" Francis said turning to Rodney.

"He sure did, but of course he called her the loud lady across the hall" Rodney said.

"Well he's not wrong" Francis said sarcastically.

"Say, where are those Rita and Dodger characters I've heard about, I haven't seen them yet" Rodney said searching the room.

"Oh never mind about them, they're...very tired" Tito bursting into laughter.

"Tito for the love of God" Francis said falling to a chair and hitting himself in the face.

"Einy said you'd say that" Rodney said while pinching Einsteins rump which made the taller dog yelp and blush.

"Uh, we'd better go" said Einstein grabbing his jacket.

"Okay, but remember Rod man, his curfew is the first week of August and if you keep him out by then, really man thank you" Tito said with an air of sarcasm.

The two made their way out the door, down the stairs and out into the street, leaving the trio alone in the living room.

"Hey Tito" Oliver said "the Nintendo won't start" he continued.

"Ah don't worry about it" Tito said "plug-ins probably overheated, does that after a while" he said while pulling out the plug in from the back "give it a blow would you gato" he said motioning the plug-in to Oliver.

Oliver gave a small blow to the heated plug-in and then Tito placed it down.

"While that's coolin' let's see what's on TV huh" Tito said grabbing the remote.

The TV flipped on and a Shakespeare play was playing live.

"Ah Othello" said Francis cheerfully.

"Ah, gag me" said Tito flipping the channel.

"You just have no taste for culture" Francis said scoffing.

"Hey man I got culture, but I call them family and I visit them twice a week in Harlem" Tito said retorting back to Francis.

Tito changed the channel to a Luchador fight on Telemundo between a giant and two midget wrestlers.

"You see Frankie, this is my culture and it's kick-ass" Tito said.

"Oh yes, grown men wearing Halloween masks and pounding their brains into mush, that's culture" Frankie said in a sarcastic tone.

"Who are they" Oliver asked with curiosity.

"Okay see the big guy Gigante he's the champ, but the little guys, the Chilito twins, they've been winning match after match and this is the championship where they're fighting to see who's the next champion Luchador" Tito said.

"Lunchador" Oliver said confused.

"Na, na, Luchador Mexican masked wrestlers, they wear masks so people know who they are" Tito explained to Oliver "here get up, let me show you how they fight" Tito said standing in a fighting stance. "Now the main idea is to pin one of us to the ground" Tito said putting his hands on Oliver's shoulders and trying to push him down.

Tito thought that his size would win over Oliver, but before he knew it he was pinned to the ground by the little kitten.

"Like this Tito" Oliver said to the dumbfounded Chihuahua as Francis was laughing incessantly.

"Yeah Gato can we not mention this to anyone else" said a nervous Tito.

"You're a little late for that pequeño" said Dodger walking in with Rita walking behind him.

Suddenly, their laughter was cut off by an abrupt knock at the door. Rita walked to the door to answer and on the other side was a white furred timber wolf in a police officers uniform.

"Can we help you officer" Rita asked the serious faced wolf.

"You have an Oliver Twist living here ma'am" he asked.

"Why" Dodger asked while walking up behind.

Suddenly the timber wolf pulled out a warrant from his pocket.

"We have a warrant to take the child down to the station" he answered.

"From who" Dodger asked annoyed.

"The boys mother" the timber wolf said "in here boys" the wolf said and two other officers, both timber wolf, except with blue fur, entered the premises and picked up Oliver, who immediately started kicking and screaming.

"Hey, you can't just-" Dodger said before being cut off by a growl by the timber wolf.

"Sir, if you interfere, you and your companions will be incarcerated" the wolf said raising his voice a little.

"On what grounds" Francis asked from across the room.

"Kidnapping" the wolf said with a glare.

Dodger immediately became defensive "that's bullshit, his mother abandoned him, alone, in a bad neighborhood" he said out loud.

"Well sir it's your word against a mothers, so you really don't have a choice" the timber wolf said staring him down.

"Dodge" Oliver shouted "I don't wanna go back" he shouted from the stairs.

"Don't worry kid we'll fix this, I promise" Dodger shouted to Oliver downstairs "I promise" he shouted once again.

All that Dodger heard were sirens pulling out of Avenue A, which to Dodger was the most frightening sound at this point. Somehow it felt obvious to Dodger that both Roscoe and Desoto had something to do with this and whatever they were planning, it wouldn't end well for anyone.

 **Oh my god this chapter! I had to redo it at least three or four times! At one point I thought of redoing the whole thing altogether, but I just needed to make a better ending. Ooh, smells like trouble *gasp*. Next chapter has my first Disney cameo, so be prepared! Please fave and review!**


	9. Updates & Stories

Wassup readers and writers,

This isn't a new chapter, it's a choice I'm making. I need to take a break from this story for a bit so I can update some stories I have forgotten to work on.

I would like it if you guys went to check out my other stories and review them, not to appease my ego, but for you guys to read and enjoy. I just submitted a new story for The Sound of Music, the movie version and it'll be available to read in 4-8 hours.

I will return to this story in the future, but for right now, enjoy my other work

Sincerely, RaNd0M-dUd3. ;)


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